Clarity
by Ani-maniac494
Summary: Roy had been so sure that he'd made up his mind, that he really would take that promotion to Engineer. But fires have a way of putting things in perspective. Missing scene from "Promotion." One-Shot.


Spoilers: Major spoilers for the events of "Promotion."

Disclaimer: I don't own Emergency. I'm only playing in someone else's sandbox. :)

A/N: As always, I thank my Lord Jesus Christ for his incredible mercy and grace and his many blessings. I would be utterly lost without him.

I hope you enjoy this, and please let me know what you think!

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 **Clarity**

The building was going to be a total loss.

From his place across the street, sitting on the sidewalk next to Squad 18, Roy could see that much already. It was an old building, the wood dry and brittle, and whatever else they'd used inside the walls was going up like kindling. The flashover hadn't done it any favors, either.

Judging by the unhappy set of Cap's mouth as he called out his orders, he saw exactly what Roy did. But, at the very least, they could minimize the damage and make sure the fire didn't spread to of any of the neighboring structures.

"Ow! Hey, take it easy, will ya?" Johnny groused.

The protest made Roy smile faintly behind the oxygen mask he wore. That smile threatened again when he heard Johnny grumbling - under his breath this time - as Greg from 18s finished examining his injured leg.

The old adage about doctors being the worst patients seemed to hold true for paramedics as well, especially when it came to his partner. But, if he was honest, hearing Johnny protest now was a relief, because if Johnny was complaining like that, then he couldn't be hurt all that badly. In a lot of ways, it was more reassuring than Johnny's _actual_ reassurances had been when he'd found him laying on those stairs.

Roy's smile faded at the memory.

They'd had close calls before, but somehow, this had been different.

The instant he'd felt that rope pull out of his hands, something deep in his gut had wrenched too, because he knew what it meant…what must have happened on the other end. And when Johnny hadn't answered his calls…well, there'd been a moment there when he'd wondered if he'd just lost his partner for good.

Roy was drawn from his thoughts as Greg's partner, Tony, started to prod at his injured arm, and he hid a wince as the other man carefully lifted the limb to get a better look at the burn. Roy's gaze followed his, making a quick assessment. It wasn't pretty - a second degree burn just below his elbow, about the size of his fist - but it could have been worse.

Much worse, he thought, eyeing Johnny again.

His partner had been stripped of his turnout coat as soon as they'd reached the sidewalk. It was bunched up beside him now, providing a little extra support for the ribs he seemed to be favoring along with his knee. His air mask, air bottle, and helmet lay a few feet away, giving the other paramedics room to work.

Johnny must have sensed his stare, because he turned to meet Roy's gaze and raised his eyebrows in a silent question. Unable to voice his thoughts, Roy gave a slight shake of his head and a small shrug of his shoulders that he regretted a second later when the burn on his arm objected to the movement.

Johnny's expression immediately grew concerned, but whatever he'd been about to say was interrupted by Brackett's voice carrying over the Biophone, ordering IVs for both of them.

Roy knew it was just a precaution, and his earlier amusement returned when he saw the look on Johnny's face as Greg swabbed down his forearm and started looking for a vein. Tony did the same on Roy's uninjured arm, and a moment later, he felt the prick of a needle as it slid into place.

"That oxygen seem like it's doing its job, Roy?" Tony asked after he adjusted the drip on the IV.

Roy pulled the mask down and took an experimental breath without it. He still felt the urge to cough, but it was a much weaker urge than it had been just a few minutes before.

"Yeah," he answered, nodding as he slipped the mask back into place.

"Good."

The other man rummaged around in the drug box for a moment, pulling out a bag of saline. When he took pair of scissors out of his belt kit, Roy knew what was coming and held out his arm.

Tony quickly cut the top off the bag, and started pouring the saline carefully over the burn. Roy breathed a small sigh of relief at the feeling of the cool liquid washing over his skin. Sterile sheets didn't really work for such a small burn, so Roy wasn't surprised when Tony reached for a 4x4 instead. He gently pressed the bandage over the injury, then gave that another dousing in saline for good measure.

A quick glance to his right showed that Greg was in the middle of splinting Johnny's leg, and satisfied that his partner was being well looked after, Roy let his gaze drift back to the fire in front of him.

Without really meaning to, he found Mike standing at his usual spot in front of the gauges. The engineer was in constant motion, his head moving back and forth as he watched for pressure changes, his hands reaching up to make adjustments to the pumps as needed. Every few minutes he would look up at the fire itself, keeping an eye on it while he worked.

That would be him in a month or so, wouldn't it?

There'd be no more running into burning buildings and getting tossed out of windows…at least, not on a regular basis. And if someone on his crew was in trouble, it would be up to another man to get them out safely…just like it would be up to somebody else to watch Johnny's back while Roy was manning the engine, making sure that the linemen had everything they needed.

Could he really do that? Did he want to?

When Johnny was in trouble…not for one second had he ever thought about staying outside the building. Even when he'd tried to call for back-up, he'd always planned on going in with whoever came to help.

He tried to picture himself in Mike's place instead, tried to imagine staring at gauges and watching for pressure changes when he knew that his partner needed him, but he couldn't do it.

Oh, Roy knew the job was important. There was no doubt about that. Mike's quiet, steady, careful work on the engine had made all the difference on a lot of fires, tipping some bad situations in their favor because he'd managed to keep the lines charged when it mattered the most, or because he'd anticipated a need before anyone else had.

No, Roy didn't doubt the job's worth. He just doubted that it was the job for him.

" _It comes down on the side of money."_

That's what he'd told Johnny a few hours before.

But, some things, well…some things couldn't be bought.

It was the wail of a siren that drew him from his thoughts this time, and he turned to see a second ambulance heading up the street. The first was already on its way to Rampart with the security guard and one of the paramedics from 9s who'd treated him.

"Gentlemen," Greg said, pushing himself to his feet, "your ride awaits."

Johnny snorted at that, though he looked less than thrilled a couple minutes later, when the two ambulance attendants moved into position to lift him onto a stretcher. Roy, however, was allowed to get into the ambulance under his own power, Tony trailing after him with the IV and the oxygen.

He wasn't surprised when Cap came jogging up before the doors closed, HT still in-hand. "You two gonna be alright?"

Roy tugged the oxygen mask down again and glanced over at Johnny, the partner he could have lost…the partner he didn't want to leave behind.

"Yeah, Cap," Roy answered, becoming more sure by the moment. "We're gonna be fine."

 **Fin**

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A/N: Thank you for reading, and please let me know what you think!

Take care and God bless!

Ani-maniac494 :)


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